APR Scores Show Tech Student-Athletes Excelling In Classroom

ATLANTA – The Academic Progress Report released today by the NCAA reveals that the majority of Georgia Tech’s athletic teams are excelling in the classroom.

The APR numbers released today are based on a multi-year rate that averages scores from the 2005-06, 2006-07, 2007-08 and 2008-09 academic years.

“To see our overall scores improve for a third straight year is very encouraging,” Georgia Tech athletic director Dan Radakovich said. “It’s a tribute to our student-athletes, coaches and staff.

“At the same time, we will continue to strive to raise our numbers each and every year.”

Some of the good news for Georgia Tech included in the APR:

— Twelve of Tech’s 17 teams improved or had no change to their APR score compared to last year’s data.

— Five Georgia Tech teams – baseball, golf, volleyball and men’s and women’s cross country — were recognized last month for ranking in the top 10 percent nationally within their respective sport for their APR scores.

— Four Yellow Jacket teams – golf, volleyball and men’s and women’s cross country – recorded perfect scores of 1,000. The golf team has earned a score of 1,000 three consecutive years. Volleyball recorded its second straight score of 1,000.

— The baseball team earned APR Public Recognition for the second straight year after posting an identical 989 score.

— The football team improved its APR score for the third straight year – from 951 in 2008, to 957 last year, to 967 this year.

Using single-year data, Tech’s men’s basketball and football teams showed the biggest improvements. The men’s basketball APR for the 2008-09 academic year was 953, up from 840 the previous year. The football team’s APR for 2008-09 was an impressive 993, up from 962.

More information on national APR scores from the NCAA:

 The Division I Board of Directors set cut scores of 925 and 900 (out of 1,000) as a threshold for teams to meet or face possible immediate and historical sanctions. An APR of 925 currently predicts an approximately 50 percent Graduation Success Rate (GSR) and an APR of 900 currently predicts an approximately 40 percent GSR.

 This year marks the sixth year of APR data for most teams. The APR is a multi-year rate based on the most recent four years of data.

 This is the fifth year of immediate (or contemporaneous) penalties for teams that score below 925 APR and have a student-athlete who leaves school academically ineligible.

 This year marks the fourth for historical penalties. Teams that receive three straight years of historical penalties (by scoring below 900 APR) face the potential of restrictions on postseason competition for the team (such as a bowl game or the men’s basketball tournament), in addition to scholarship and practice restrictions.

 Every team posting an APR score below 925 is required to develop a specific academic improvement plan. Teams posting APR scores below 900 must submit those plans to the NCAA national office for review.

 If a school submits a penalty waiver request, NCAA staff reviews not only the waiver but also the team’s improvement plan, which is based in part on goals and initiatives for improving their APR score. Staff decides whether to grant relief and whether to condition that relief based on the team achieving a target APR goal and implementing the improvement plan. If the conditions are not met, the team will have to face the penalty. Schools also can appeal if their team doesn’t meet the condition.

 The squad-size adjustment has been eliminated for most teams. This “margin of error,” or statistical adjustment, was developed to account for the limited amount of data in the beginning years of APR. Now, with six years of APR data, the adjustments are no longer needed for those teams with 30 or more student-athletes in the multi-year APR.